Press Releases

NAEYC Radio presents...
Are We Playing it Too Safe?

(Washington, D.C.) – This month’s NAEYC Radio segment features Dr. Joe Frost, known as the “contemporary father of play advocacy,” who discusses how safety standards, the anxiety of adults, and lawsuits are causing the demise of play, playgrounds and recess. He explores the impact on children and proposes ways we can reverse the trend.

Rae Pica and Mark R. Ginsberg interviewed Dr. Frost in this month’s segment of NAEYC Radio, a program brought to you by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the BAM Radio Network.

In this segment, Dr. Frost emphasizes the idea that “play builds brains.” He says years of research have shown that directed and spontaneous play help children build their social and cognitive skills. In general, play improves a child’s natural ability to be imaginative and active. He also explains how our culture of lawsuits causes anxiety in teachers who are now too scared to see children take risks in play. But a fair amount of “skinned-knee play” should be allowed, says Dr. Frost. He refers to the idea that adults need to allow children to take some risk on the playground. Dr. Frost suggests training play leaders or play workers to supervise and facilitate playground play and rejecting rules like prohibiting running during recess.

The deprivation of play has lead to a crisis among children with respect to their fitness, their health, their strength, their coordination, and cognitive abilities, Dr. Frost says.

Dr. Frost, Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus, was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Texas for 34 years. He has also received several awards, including the Doctor of Play award by the International Play Association (IPA/USA). He is also the author of several books, such as "Play and Child Development."

The BAM Radio Network was originally launched as a resource for parents, aimed at delivering the most reliable information on early childhood development and developmentally appropriate parenting to busy moms and dads. Created by leading early childhood experts, the programming quickly became a popular resource among teachers and educators and was expanded to include an Educators' Channel.

Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has nearly 90,000 members worldwide. The association is the largest and most influential voice for early childhood education professionals and the field of early childhood education in the United States.